FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA) — On Tuesday U.S. District Attorney for Western Arkansas Dak Kees held a press conference to discuss the arrest of VA pathologist Dr. Robert Levy.
Levy is facing 12 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of mail fraud, four counts of making false statements in certain matters and three counts of involuntary manslaughter.
“Dr. Levy on three separate occasions to three separate patients went into their medical records and entered inaccurate and misleading diagnoses,” Kees said. “He went in — knowingly put in a false diagnosis, and then tried to cover it up by saying that a second pathologist agreed with his initial decision.”
In 2016, Levy appeared to be intoxicated on duty. During a drug and alcohol test, it revealed Levy’s BAC was .396.
Watch the entire press conference below.
According to the indictment, Dr. Levy held a medical license issued by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure issued in 1997.
In 2005, VHSO hired Levy to serve as Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medical Services, which he held until 2018.
Levy acknowledged that the pending proposed removal and revocation was “due to unprofessional conduct related to high blood alcohol content while on duty.”
In July 2016, Levy voluntarily entered a three-month in-patient treatment program, which he completed in October 2016.
Kees says Levy orchestrated a scheme to conceal his non-compliance with a drug and alcohol testing program following the incident.
Records show he purchased 2-methyl-2-butanol from Amazon and Ebay twelve times from June 2017 to June 2018. It’s a substance that is not meant for human consumption and can be lethal if too much is taken.
“The 2M-2B he used allowed him to receive the feeling of intoxication, but it would not show up on any type of urinalysis test,” Kees said. “He has the medical expertise, the knowledge, the skill set, and the equipment to know exactly how much of the substance to take.”
Michael Missal, VA Inspector General, adds this is an extremely rare and isolated case.
“VA has very strong rules on privileging and credentialing, and that’s a real key issue here, and this is something we have looked at in many cases,” Missal said.
The indictment also pointed out that almost 10% of the diagnoses he made involved clinical errors.
Levy had an annual salary of $225,000 in addition to bonuses.
If convicted on all counts, Levy could face up to 524 years in prison and face $7.75 million in fines.
To read the full indictment for Dr. Robert Levy CLICK HERE.
Levy’s court date is set for October 7.